In 1995, with the publication of
Mister Sandman, her fourth book and third novel, Barbara Gowdy confirmed her position among Canada's most talented living writers. From the
Globe and Mailto the
New Yorker, reviews of the novel praised the ingenuity and complexity of its humour, characters, and composition. A finalist for the Trillium Award, and named “Book of the Year” in the
Times Literary Supplementby Margaret Atwood,
Mister Sandmansecured Barbara Gowdy the 1996 Marian Engel Award, a ten-thousand dollar prize given once a year to a Canadian woman author for outstanding prose in a body of work.
Maclean's Magazinepredicted that the novel would “catapult this rising literary star into a whole new orbit of fame and regard.” Within a year of its North American release,
Mister957 words
Citation: Medoro, Dana. "Mister Sandman". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 December 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3571, accessed 25 November 2024.]